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dungeon where the
Plutonium Killer's kidnapped women, including Flores, are being held captive, and free them. The Plutonium Killer, disguised as Jack, attempts to lure Randi away. However, Liu, by reflecting the sunlight off a mirror, causes the Plutonium Killer's false face to melt and fall away. The Plutonium Killer abducts Randi in his car, and drives to a hangar. Liu follows and Randi slips away when Liu engages in a sword fight with the Plutonium Killer, before the criminal escapes in a helicopter. Liu plants a bomb in the helicopter, causing an explosion that kills the Plutonium Killer.
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where they have sex while parts of his skin melt. The next morning, the
Plutonium Killer and the woman are still in the backseat when two thugs attempt to rob the car; the attempted robbers are defeated by the Plutonium Killer's driver, Rattail. Police later find the woman's dead body in an alley, and attribute her murder to the Plutonium Killer.
485:, or scripts, Kurtis M. Spieler (credited as the film's "re-director" and editor) was tasked with reconstructing the film from the footage alone. The only known surviving script is Morano's shooting script, which alluded to a character named "Detective Dolemite"; the original filmmakers may have intended the character to have been played by
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285:, an act which is caught on camera by news reporters on the scene. Liu's actions make the front page of the newspaper, catching the attention of a wanted serial killer known as the Plutonium Killer. The Plutonium Killer is the ringleader of a prostitution ring in which women are abducted and sold to an international clientele.
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Liu stops a gang from assaulting two women, while his TV station co-workers—reporter Randi Rydell and cameraman Jack, who are unaware of Liu's secret identity—film the ensuing fight, from which Liu emerges victorious. Liu later saves Randi and Jack from being attacked by thugs. As Liu continues to
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John Liu, a sound technician for a television news station in New York City, learns that his wife Nita is pregnant, only for her to be murdered by knife-wielding thug Freddy
Cufflinks. While grieving, Liu is accosted by a gang of thugs, and fights them off. Liu meets with Detective Jimmy Williams,
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I was very aware of trying to maintain what I thought was the intended spirit or tone of the original production. I knew there was a fair amount of both intentional and unintentional humor to the movie, but I tried to take the project seriously and be respectful to the original source material as
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When a young boy is attacked by a group of criminals to whom he owes money, Liu saves his life. Several weeks later, Liu has befriended the boy, and the two go fishing and attend a
Halloween parade. At the same parade, the Plutonium Killer hypnotizes and kidnaps a woman. He brings her to his car,
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Liu confronts
Cufflinks, Ricco, Switchblade, and the Plutonium Killer. They try to capture Liu but he escapes to a field, where he defeats Rattail in a sword duel. Elsewhere, by burning a photo of Jack, the Plutonium Killer transforms his face into Jack's likeness. Liu and Williams infiltrate a
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Spieler suspects that Liu may have been unable to complete filming before the production shut down, saying that "the ending doesn't feel like it was ever finished". Vinegar
Syndrome considered filming new scenes, but Spieler decided to work only with the original footage. In an interview with
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While filming an interview with Mayor Lewis about the New York Ninja, a group of armed assailants under the orders of the
Plutonium Killer—including Freddy Cufflinks—attempt to abduct Randi. However, the criminals are driven away by a group of children who, inspired by the New York Ninja's
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Ninja" paraphernalia. Some time later, Cufflinks and his partners Ricco and
Switchblade successfully kidnap both Randi and Detective Janet Flores, one of Williams' colleagues. After learning about the Plutonium Killer's trafficking scheme from an undercover
659:"just announced over at @vinegarsyndrome the formation of Vinegar Syndrome Pictures! With the new brand new poster art which I (The Dude Designs) have created for an awesomely fun new classic film NY Ninja! [...]"
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is, it's the genuine heart of the original production that really makes the whole thing work. Liu may not have been a high-minded artiste, but he knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was to bring the high-octane,
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where John was staying and then take a van to the location." The film had an estimated special effects budget of $ 100, most of which Morano reportedly spent on creating the
Plutonium Killer's melting face.
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began in late 1984 in New York City. According to the film's special effects artist, Carl Morano, "They had zero resources. Different people showed up on different days. We'd meet every morning at the
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was filmed in New York City, and was shelved after its original distribution company went bankrupt. The abandoned footage was eventually acquired by
Vinegar Syndrome; without audio,
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agent known as the Pale Man, Williams meets with Liu and informs him that the Plutonium Killer and his associates are responsible for Nita's death.
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who tells him that authorities are doing all they can to solve Nita's murder, but Liu is unsatisfied. Liu decides to become a
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police the streets as the "New York Ninja", he garners further news coverage and popularity among the city's residents.
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As the film ends the NYPD briefly apprehends Liu before the group of children return, enabling his escape.
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473:, ran about six to eight hours in length and included no actor credits. It was eventually acquired by
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called the film "the kind of gem that demands viewing with a crowd", writing: "As downright goofy as
583:, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.
879:"What's New on DVD in November: 'Shang-Chi,' 'Citizen Kane' in 4K, Bruce Springsteen, and More"
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Spieler commissioned the Detroit band Voyag3r to create the score, and hired actors including
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double-feature", and wrote that "Vinegar Syndrome has found/created a fantastic
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premiered at Beyond Fest in California in October 2021. It was released on
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as John Liu, an employee of a New York City television news station
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action of late '70s Hong Kong to the streets of New York."
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called the film "rewatchable, quotable, and perfect for a
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382:Darius Churchman as the voice of Ricco
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890:December 9,
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664:December 9,
595:Samurai Cop
589:Film Threat
554:Ginger Lynn
546:Matt Mitler
515:, he said:
483:storyboards
386:Tom Wayland
362:Matt Mitler
233:Matt Mitler
205:storyboards
183:action film
39:Directed by
1000:2021 films
994:Categories
644:References
479:home video
471:film reels
413:Production
191:home video
154:93 minutes
68:Written by
670:Instagram
275:gang rape
254:vigilante
99:Edited by
74:John Liu
921:March 5,
884:The Wrap
625:See also
492:Dolemite
324:John Liu
304:Interpol
279:shuriken
268:shuriken
187:John Liu
167:Language
107:Music by
94:John Liu
91:Starring
49:John Liu
569:Blu-ray
259:katanas
170:English
159:Country
137:2021-10
135: (
110:Voyag3r
558:dubbed
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617:high-
512:Paste
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951:2021
923:2022
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864:2021
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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